A Bill introduced by Senator David Pocock and North Sydney MP Kylea Tink to legislate a ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Housing and ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾lessness Plan is a welcome step to recognising adequate housing as a fundamental human right and creating a more equitable housing system for all Australians, according to the Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA), ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾lessness Australia, and ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Shelter.
The three national peaks have come together to strongly endorse the landmark Bill, which would legally require the Federal Government to develop and maintain a 10-year plan to address Australia’s housing crisis.
Wendy Hayhurst, CEO of CHIA, said: “Mandating a long-term, comprehensive approach to addressing housing affordability and supply issues would allow Australia to move beyond short- term fixes and create lasting solutions. No one pretends this challenge is easy when we are grappling with decades of policy inaction, but a bold initiative like this could just be the circuit- breaker needed to get us onto a better path.”
Kate Colvin, CEO of ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾lessness Australia, endorsed the Bill’s emphasis on homelessness: “The inclusion of ending homelessness as a key objective of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Housing and ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾lessness Plan is vital. This Bill recognises that homelessness is created by Government’s policy choices and can be solved with the right long-term strategy and commitment. The Bill establishes the ambition that’s needed to shift the dial.”
Emma Greenhalgh, CEO of ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Shelter, said reframing our approach to the current housing crisis is critical to making progress: “We often say that housing is a human right in Australia but our current approach to housing as wealth demonstrates that it is not. We applaud the Bill’s emphasis on providing a clear framework of adequate housing as a human right. This shift in perspective is long overdue and essential for creating a fair and functional housing system.”
The three national peaks urge all members of Parliament to support the legislation.
